


Faculty Christmas Party

by lameassthiam



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: "my god they were roommates", Christmas!, M/M, Roommates, Teacher AU, Teachers, no actually, not really - Freeform, they're in a school, they're not werewolves, this is crap
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-14 11:12:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13006575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lameassthiam/pseuds/lameassthiam
Summary: Theo Raeken and Liam Dunbar are two reputable high school teachers in New York. Having known each other for years, they often fight and it can get quite out of hand. Except Liam is feeling a little bit less friendly towards Theo and a little bit more fuck me. Unbeknownst to Liam, Theo is feeling the same way. With the help of some nosy students, fellow teachers, and the promise of a faculty Christmas party at night, there might just be hope for these two dense idiots.





	1. It's Hard To Teach With You Around

**Author's Note:**

> i haven't posted my writing in a while so this is all very new!! i plan on having a few parts to this and trying to be as christmas themed as i can be. this chapter is super introductory but it's still good?

Three school days before the start of the holiday recess, history teacher Liam Dunbar stood in the science wing. He was peering into a classroom, a specific one, watching the teacher inside. Admittedly, it was total creep move but Liam couldn’t help it. Besides, he had forgotten his coffee mug inside the teacher’s car and really need a cup of joe to get through the rest of the day. It was fifteen minutes into the second period when Liam had found himself in the place he’d been many times this week. 

  
_Outside Theo Raeken’s classroom._

  
Liam observed the way Theo’s biceps pushed against the seams of the light pink dress shirt he was wearing, or how freaking good his legs looked in those khakis. He’d picked up on the way his face broke out into a rare grin when a student got an answer right, or the way Theo’s tongue poked out of his mouth and he bit down on it with his teeth when debating who to call on. Liam’s favorite was when Theo was sitting at his desk, grading while students worked, and how he’d stick the reverse side of the pen in his mouth, swipe it across his bottom lip, then swirling his tongue around it. That one drove twenty-four year old Liam crazy. 

It was still creepy no matter how many times Liam tried to tell himself he was just… making observations. 

“Gazing longingly like a stalker in a horror movie? It’s the fifth time I’ve caught you this week and frankly, I’m concerned.” Wray Patterson, a fellow history teacher, nudged Liam’s shoulder and asked the question everybody that had passed Liam had wondered. Liam turned his head to the side and up, and rolled his eyes at his roommate and friend. Wray was taller than him, even more so in heels. 

“I’m not gazing longingly,” Liam scoffed. “I’m assessing his ability to teach students about… uh…” From Liam’s favorite spot, he could only see straight into the classroom through the class cut out. That allowed him to see Theo 80% of the time, and about half of the first row. Liam tried to readjust his view into the classroom so he could see the dry-erase board. Wray rolled her eyes and went right up to the small glass rectangle cut out in the door to look inside. 

“Punnett Squares,” Wray informed him with a chuckle, turning around to face Liam again. He gave her a fake smile and rolled his eyes. Wray heaved a sigh before linking arms with Liam and dragging him out of the biology wing, all while mumbling about unhealthy stalking habits.

Theo shook his head, amused when he noticed Wray’s face in the window of his classroom.When she pulled away, all he saw was Liam but Liam was looking at Wray. She pulled the history teacher from Theo’s point of view, snapping Theo back into reality.   
“Right, so, when you have-” 

“Mr. Raeken?” A boy from the front row named Richie called out, lazily raising his hand. Richie was a bright kid but he hardly ever tried in class. 

“What’s up?” Theo responded, trying to cap the annoyance building in his mind.

“Why does Mr. Dunbar always lurk outside your classroom?” Richie asked, causing the whole class of fifteen-year-old biology students to crack up. 

“Mr. Dunbar is… um… he’s special,” Theo said in a bumble, feeling the red-hot blush creep up his neck and onto his cheeks. “We live together… I’m sure he just forgot something and needed my car keys.” Theo coughed loudly and turned back to the dry erase board, drawing a small blue b next to the brown one already in the square. 

“So you see, it’s a 1 in four chance that this family will produce a-”

 “Is Mr. Dunbar your boyfriend?” Sheila, a boisterous girl in the back row asked. 

“No-”

“So then why do you live together?” Another student piped in, encouraging all of the class to chime in with their own questioning sounds. Theo groaned, loud and exaggerated.

“You have an exam on this tomorrow.” Theo reminded them, capping the marker and throwing it toward his desk in defeat. He erased the board quickly then leaned back against it with his arms crossed over his chest. Theo Raeken was one of those teachers. Everyone wanted to have him teach them bio or psychology, every parent loved him, he was famous in the school district. He was also a really good teacher who made the best effort at creating a great relationship between him and his students. Kids would come and talk to him about some of their own personal issues, to ask for help in other classes, and sometimes just to talk. So that’s why right now, Theo had only a small number of qualms about throwing in the towel and caving into a personal discussion. 

“You’re a good teacher, we’ll pass,” Richie assured him with a smile.

“Just tell us about the forbidden love affair between you and Dunbar!” Sheila exclaimed, clapping her hands together in excitement. 

“Oh my god, it’s like Romeo and Juliet! The science department versus the history and department!” Sheila’s friend, April, commented. April and Sheila then engaged in a frantic jazz-hands and clapping… a thing that twenty-six-year-old Theo didn’t understand.  

“We are not a pair of star-crossed lovers set to die for the purpose of love. Besides, there’s no need to bury a non-existent rivalry between the two departments.” Theo explained, feeling himself get flustered. He may love the close relationship he had with his students but talk about Liam Dunbar with them was risky. He had a class of tenth graders right now and half of them had Liam for Global History 10 next. 

“Um, Mr. Raeken? You and Dunbar almost got fired after the science department won staff color wars and he broke your nose,” Richie pointed out, tentatively.  

“Richie, can it,” Theo shot back. Now he was done, too much Liam talk made him way too fuzzy. “He didn’t break my nose, and I’ve known him long enough for that to barely even matter. Anyway, we live together because I inherited my parents’ house when they died and I can’t pay for the house so he and four other teachers are my roommates. End of story.” Theo clapped his hands together and walked back over to his computer. He queued up a Christmas rom-com on Netflix, then went to drop the projector screen and turn it on. 

“Now, considering you all don’t give a damn about your education and Christmas is in five days, let’s just watch this cheesy movie on Netflix and think about our life choices.”

* * *

“Ms. Patterson, why can’t we just watch a fun movie like every other class is doing?” A freshman named Lexie dared to ask. Wray stopped mid-pace and raised her eyebrows in a challenge to the bratty girl. 

“Lexie, consider your grades before asking me that. Now, loves, pop quiz on Rome!!” Wray grabbed a stack of papers from her desk and smiled upon hearing the chorus of annoyance from her students. 

“Ms. Patterson, we don’t know anything about Rome!” A kid from the middle row of desks protested. Wray’s smile grew even more.

“It’ll be totally ungraded,” She explained, much to the relief for the overachievers.   “More for me to assess what some of you know and what you don’t. It’s a fairly simple quiz, ten questions. You’ll all be fine. Lynn, would you be a doll and pass these out.” Wray handed the stack of papers to the small girl before retreating to her desk to work on some grading. She pulled up her cell phone timer once she settled in her spinning desk chair. 

“You’ve got the rest of the period which is twenty minutes and your time starts now!” Just five minutes in and almost finished with one essay, the door burst open. Lydia Martin, head of the maths department, frantically rushed into Wray’s classroom, needing the history teacher ASAP. Wray normally noticed her because of her high heels but today it was because of her panting breath.

   “They’re fighting again,”  Was all she needed to say, or wheeze, before Wray was tearing out of that classroom as fast as her high heels allowed. She was at the end of the history wing and practically sliding into Liam’s classroom when she heard the shouting. Having lived with them for the past year and a half, and having known Theo her whole life, she knew they could both yell. Loudly, she might add. But they were at least somewhat in control when at school. Clearly, today was a day where both of their sexual needs were at their peak. Grossly enough, Wray had noticed that whenever either one of them was sexually frustrated (it was often) they took it out on the other by yelling and getting into brawls in the living room. 

   “-What the fuck is your problem today, Theo? I told you, I needed your goddamned car keys!” Liam shouted. 

“You always need my keys, you’re so forgetful! Why can’t you just drive in with Wray?” Theo yelled back, not noticing how the mentioned teacher was slowly pulling open the classroom door. They were too wrapped up in one another. Anyone looking at the two of them could see it. The way Liam only stood up around Theo, or how Theo tended to stand directly adjacent to Liam in any crowded room. They looked at one another like their opposite was a shake-shack without a line. Liam went out of his way to get Theo to laugh and Theo always let Liam rant about history whenever his class rejected his rants. 

“Because Wray is obsessed with Christmas music! It’s driving me crazy,” Liam seethed, taking a step closer to Theo. 

“Christmas isn’t year round, Dumbar!” Theo fired back, crossing his arms defensively across his chest. Liam ignored the warmth of his body he felt when he looked at Theo, arms crossed like that. He blamed it on the anger. 

“I like your car better, is that such a crime?” 

“Yes, it’s a crime! When I have students stopping me in the middle of my crucial lesson to interrogate me about you and our friendship and my living situations all because you needed your fucking coffee mug, it’s a criminal offense!” 

“Oh, you’re talking about criminal offenses?” Liam asked rhetorically, glaring at Theo harshly. It was a step over the line and he knew it but he was so… angry. 

“Seriously, Dunbar? That’s where you’re going to go at ten in the fucking morning?” Theo spat the question in a mocking tone. 

“Why couldn’t you just keep teaching?” Liam asked.  “Ignore them, move on. You’re meant to be this fantastic bio teacher and this great psych teacher but what the hell are you doing if you can’t get your own class to shut up?” 

“I fucking tried my best an-” Theo was cut off by Liam going off on a tirade that not even the best negotiator could talk him down from. 

“Oh, like hell! You hardly try, Theo. Everything just comes easy to you, it’s practically suffocating how fucking perfect you are. You try at, max, five things: the gym, getting laid, having nice hair, making sure Wray cooks Mexican at least once a week and hating me!” Liam counted all five off on his wingers, waving his hands wildly in front of Theo’s face. 

“First off, Li,” Theo started, his voice lowering and his feet carrying him closer to Liam. “I’m not perfect, you of all people know that. Second, there are about over a dozen more things I care about that go before all of that bullshit. You’re starting to sound like Stiles! And for fuck’s sake, I don-”

“Stop it!” Wray yelled, stumbling into the room with Lydia hot on her heels. 

“Both of you need to stop. Theo, you’re going to come with me and Lydia you’re going to stay here with Li. He has a class next period and make sure he’s calm before that.” Wray dished out instructions before grabbing Theo’s hand and leading him out of the classroom.

* * *

It was before the sixth period of the day started and Liam was on his lunch break. Somehow he had found himself back at his favorite spot, right outside Theo’s classroom. This time, though, he dared to enter. Theo’s classroom was terrifyingly organized. Everything was labeled, squared away, and neatly stacked. His desk was clear of any clutter, save for a few stacks of to-be graded tests Theo was working on. Liam leaned back against the wooden classroom door before he cleared his throat and started to speak. 

“Why do we do this?” Liam asked, without any indication as to what he was talking about. But he and Theo had the secret language of unspoken connection on their side so sometimes auxiliary words could be left out. Theo lifted his head up, eyes drifting from his grading pile to Liam. 

“Do what?” Theo asked, playing dumb. Then he started to do the pen thing again and Liam had to bite down on his lip, drawing minuscule amounts of blood to fight the urge to groan. 

“Fight,” Liam said when he had recomposed himself minorly. “We’re like best friends so why are we always fighting?” Theo ignored the sadness that hit him when Liam said best friends. He had gotten used to suppressing his feelings, though, he knew Liam would never like him back. 

“Fighting is a natural part of a friendship, Li,” Theo noted, standing up from his desk so he could lean against the shorter edge of it. Liam took that as an invitation to venture farther into the classroom, closer to Theo. That’s what Liam wanted, to just be closer to Theo. 

“Dude, you got me sent to the hospital in college,” Liam mentioned with a lighthearted laugh. Theo visibly winced and dropped his head so Liam couldn’t see his blushing embarrassment. The punching bag incident wasn’t Theo’s finest hour. 

“I was wasted,” Theo defended, talking to the floor. “I had failed an exam that day, got dumped, rejected for sex, and did I mention I was wasted?” It was no hidden secret that Theo was a lightweight, even with his size, the guy could hardly hold his liquor. It didn’t help that whiskey was his drink of choice. 

“ _Soo_  wasted that you mistook me for a punching bag?” Liam mocked him, poking Theo’s shoulder teasingly. He left his finger there, slowly adding the rest of them until he was drumming his fingers on Theo’s arm. Theo blushed at the touch and got redder when he said his next words, eyes still looking at the linoleum tile. 

“Actually,” Theo started, running a hand through his soft floppy hair before letting his gaze rise and meet Liam’s interested blue eyes. “I thought you were someone else so I tried to kiss you. Then I realized you were you, and then I mistook you for a punching bag. True story.”

“Wait- you tried to ki-” Liam was cut off when the door to the classroom opened and students poured into the room, the two teachers too distracted to even notice the bell had rung. Liam pulled his hand off his older best friend, taking a small step back. It was Theo that caught his wrist and pulled him back. Theo got up in his face, his lips brushing against Liam’s ear but not in the context Liam would have liked. 

   “I did try to kiss you and I’d be lying if I said you weren’t into it,” he whispered, breath hot. Liam’s heartbeat rose with every word. “We’re not talking about this ever again.  _Now_  run along, Dunbar.” Theo pulled back and released Liam’s wrist, expecting the shorter teacher to run screaming. He didn’t. Liam composed himself, then looked at Theo, challenge showing in his eyes. In a voice reserved for teacher-to-teacher conversations in front of students, they continued to speak. 

   “Try not to get that wasted at the faculty party tonight. No telling who your next kiss victim, I mean, punching bag victim will be.” Liam winked, smirking just like Theo would have.

   “Oh goddamnit,” Theo sighed, rolling his eyes at himself. He’d been stupid to tell Liam the other details of the punching bag incident. Liam quickly stepped back toward Theo, noticing the classroom was nearly full now.  

   “Stiles is bringing whiskey,” Liam singsonged in Theo’s ear before making finger guns and walking backward out of the classroom. Theo let out a sound of colossal frustration, closed his eyes, and let his head drop back. 

   “Dunbar, you suck!” He yelled out when he knew Liam was about to leave the classroom. Liam laughed, wholeheartedly,  before the door closed and the bell rang, starting the period. Theo was ten minutes into his lesson on Punnett squares for the third time today when a student rudely interrupted him. Reluctantly, Theo called on the kid sitting in the front row named Patrick, hoping this question would be quick. 

   “Mr. Raeken, when are you and Mr. Dunbar going to just like get together?”  So much for a quick question, Theo thought before he internally screamed. 

   “I hardly see the correlation between that and Punnett squares,” The science teacher said, trying to keep his voice even. 

   “Your kids would have like sick eyes, man.” Jason, every classic high school movie’s stoner added from the back of the class. Theo’s mouth dropped slightly in shock before he literally facepalmed. Today was not the day for Punnett squares, apparently. 

   “Jason, he’s a dude, he can’t get pregnant,” Theo responded in the calmest way possible. Clearly, he needed to spend extra time on the reproductive unit.

   “I’m just sayin’ you guys would have hot kids.” Jason continued, therefore causing the invasive rose colored embarrassment by-product also known as blush to cover every inch of Theo’s skin. 

   “But seriously, Mr. Raeken, he totally likes you,” Another student chimed in.

“I’ve known him for six years, I think I’d know by now,” Theo told her.

   “People do weird stuff when they’re in love,” She countered. 

“I punch him when I want to tell him I love-GODDAMNIT!” For the second time today, Theo capped his expo marker and threw it off his desk, watching as it pinged off his desk and toppled onto the floor.  

“Okay, class is canceled for today, you’re helping me figure this out. You guys are my brightest class, sans Jason.” Theo rolled his eyes, watching the flurry of his cheering students put away their notebooks and relocate themselves to a more comfortable spot in the classroom. Theo himself sat up on his desk, hooking his ankles together and refraining from crying over how insufferable this day was. He just wanted to talk about Punnett squares.

“Well the faculty Christmas party is tonight, isn’t it?” Patrick mentioned. “Ms. Patterson and Mrs. Yukimura were talking about it. That could be a good time.” Theo chuckled darkly, knowing he would have to disclose sensitive information in order to create a plan with the class of fifteen students. 

“Now, kiddos, remember that nothing leaves this classroom. For the next half hour I’m taking off my tie,  and I’m no longer your teacher.”

 


	2. Growing Roses or Making A Move?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo and Liam continue to be stupid and oblivious. Theo is stupider, considering he enlists fifteen-year-olds for love advice. Although, that just sounds like desperate.

 

The school bell rang throughout the brick imprisonment also called “high school”, commanding the attention of everyone trapped inside. It had been a long Wednesday. The overeager freshman Lim had been stuck with for the past forty minutes waited for him to formally dismiss them before they fled the classroom like bees finding a new hive. Liam rolled his eyes, shouted “class dismissed,” and dropped down into his desk chair with a groan. His day had started with getting into a fist fight with his best friend/roommate Mason over who got to shower first. Then progressed to finding out Wray had eaten all of the  _Captain Crunch,_  and Corey (Mason’s fiancé) had made the coffee way to light. Following that, his fight with Theo which had left him shaking with anger. It wasn't new for Liam to be this angry over a fight with Theo but normally he was able to calm down to a reasonable level of anger. The day had started badly and every little thing added up. That's how it was. But after he and Theo resolved everything through a simple exchange of insults and he was thinking things were looking up, he lost an entire stack of papers that were to be graded. After frantically barging into every history classroom, the main office, faculty room, the library, to Theo’s classroom, then his car. His trip to Theo’s room during seventh period had been the only semi-normal part. Instead of awkwardly lurking outside his classroom, he simply yanked the door open, stormed over to Theo’s desk and past a gaping Theo. 

“Um, do you mind?” Theo had asked, although his speech was warbled due to the back of a marker sticking out of his mouth. Theo was shocked by the unfettered state of the object of his affection. It would have been his primary concern if he hadn’t felt the thrill of Liam’s blatant disregard for the fact he had just barged into a classroom, totally unwarranted. It was kinda hot, in Theo’s opinion. Liam’s (gravely in need of a haircut) hair had clearly been the victim of his hand raking through it every ten seconds, his cheeks were flushed from running all over the building, and his the laces of his Chuck Taylor's were slowly coming undone. 

“I've been running around for all of sixth period trying to find these papers I gotta grade. I think I left them in your car…” Liam trailed off, frantically looking over Theo’s clean desk for his car keys. When he didn’t spot them on the desk, he picked up Theo’s winter coat which was draped over the back of his desk chair. 

“Mr. Dunbar, this is highly unprofessional. Not to mention, highly annoying,” Theo commented, sounding anything but annoyed. Liam had found himself flustered at the use of his last name in a formal way coming from Theo. Regardless of whatever kinks he may be discovering as the day wore on, his main focus was on these keys and those papers. 

“ _Mr. Dunbar, this is highly unprofessional_ ,” Liam mocked Theo in a voice a few octaves higher than his own. He ransacked the pockets of the jacket, rolling his eyes at the number of gum wrappers that fell out. For having an immaculately clean classroom, the rest of Theo’s life could use the same deep clean. When Liam found the keys, he threw his arm up in a stance of triumph before giving Theo a tight, half-hug and running from the classroom. Liam didn’t notice the shocked look on Theo’s face or the snickering of the kids in the class as he ran out and down the hallway. Winters in New York were something Liam was still getting used to. Having grown up in California, the harsh wind chill of a 20-degree day was foreign. Even though he had been an east-coast dweller for nearly three years, running outside without a jacket on in the middle of December was a big no-no he frequently forgot. After surviving his nearly hypothermic death experience and thankfully finding those goddamn essays, Liam had just enough time to get back to his classroom, grade a paper, and then eighth period started. 

That brought us back to now. Liam thought he was going to be able to just put on Christmas music, grade these essays on the industrial revolution in England, and go home before the party. He thought wrong. The second he busted out the red pen and hit play on Mason’s ultimate Christmas playlist, the P.A. system crackled to life. 

“ _This is principal McCal_ l,” Scott, voice mixed with static, interrupted Liam’s free time. “ _This is a staff all-call! Report to the faculty room immediately._ ” 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Liam shouted in frustration, shutting off his music and storming out of his own classroom. They only announced all-call’s in serious situations, or if they wanted the staff to move in a timely manner. Liam suspected it was the latter although he could never be too sure. He moved down the hallway quickly, ignoring students that were still hanging around their lockers and teachers that didn’t know how to walk down a hallway properly. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone so when Wray went to call out to him, he shook his head dismissively. He would have felt bad had he not known the certifiably evil girl for so long. Liam really only thought he could tolerate seeing Theo.

* * *

Aside from the fight with Liam and the inability to educate students on Punnett squares, Theo had a decent day. It had been considerably made better in his sixth period class when he’d really gotten down to business. Theo was a smart guy. He’d graduated college summa cum laude, had gotten a 4.0 in almost all of his classes, and he had an excellent memory. The only thing he ever faced and was completely confused was his feelings for Liam and what to do with them. Theo had known Liam for six years, had gotten a seemingly hopeless crush on him three years ago and in all of that time, not once had Liam seemed flirty with him. Then when Liam came to “apologize” Theo had picked up on the slightest bits of flirtatious vibes from his younger counterpart. Theo’s students tended to agree. 

“You need a master plan, Mr. Raeken,” Theo’s favorite student (even though he wasn’t meant to have favorites), Lizzie commented. Theo agreed with her, he really did need a plan. How was he supposed to show Liam how he felt without having to spell it out for him in plain English. Enlisting his students to help him with it was probably not his best idea… but they were his last shot. So there he was, in his sixth period Biology classroom, soliciting love advice from a group of fifteen-year-olds. 

“Where do I even start?” Theo whined, feeling very much like a child. 

“What’s Dunbar’s type?” Jason asked with his usual level of apparent indifference. 

Theo snorted, “not me, clearly.”

“No offense, Mr. Raeken, but you're acting like an idiot,” Lizzie informed him. Theo glared at the class in front of him from his spot on top of his desk. 

“Why am I being an idiot? Liam’s the one who can't wake up and smell the roses!” Theo complained. 

“That's because you haven't planted them,” Lizzie responded, shrugging her shoulders. Theo stared at her, dumbfounded. He thought they were talking about making a move on Liam, not gardening. Although, he begrudgingly understood it.

“Plant the seeds, water them, let ‘em bask in the sunlight, and bam you've got a rose,” Jason said. Theo clapped his hands together and jumped off the desk, walking over to the big dry erase board. He picked up a purple marker and started to write as the class spoken 

“It's simple, the steps to growing a flower and the steps to getting Liam are the same. Well, sort of-”

“Say something useful or be quiet,” Theo cut Jason off. 

“Okay, fine, the seeds are like making sure he knows you want to be more than friends,” Jason explained. Theo jotted everything down, trying to keep up as the class shouted out things he should say. 

“Then you have to flirt, like, heavily flirt,” Lizzie said. 

“Leave him for a bit- see what his instincts are when you’re gone,” Jason added.

“Make him jealous. Even though in movies it backfires, in real life it might work,” Patrick suggested and Theo nodded, still writing it down. 

“What if none of it works? What if he just doesn’t like me, plain and simple?” Theo asked his class. They all collectively scoffed, muttering their words of disagreement.

“Mr. Raeken,” Lizzie called out, her voice louder than the rest. “Nothing in life is plain and simple.” 

* * *

   Back to the present, Theo was trudging down the left wing staircase toward the faculty room. Theo hated all-calls. They always meant that something terrible had happened. Except for the last all call which was about… Theo and Liam fighting in the middle of the hallway. Great, this was probably another staff misconduct lesson. Theo rolled his eyes as he glided into the faculty room on the first floor, immediately finding a seat next to Mason. Mason was Liam’s best friend (besides Theo), one of the four roommates, and a damn good English teacher. His fiancé, Corey was a science teacher and he tended to be late to everything. 

   “How was your day?” Theo asked, faking enthusiasm to the point where it was concerning. Mason gave him a cold stare. “Not good, I take it?”

   “You know, your classroom is right below mine. I hear everything.” 

   “Define everything.” Theo countered, praying that he didn’t hear Theo and his students creating a grand plan. 

   “Every class you had today, you must’ve yelled about Punnett squares six times. How important are they really?” Mason groaned, turning his head toward Theo. 

   “You wouldn’t believe it-” Theo was cut off by the door shutting loudly behind principal McCall walking in with Liam close behind him. Before Theo could wave the firecracker over, Mason beat him to it. Theo felt his hands clam up as the still angry looking history teacher dropped down next to him. He clearly had yet to get over those missing tests. Theo clasped Liam’s hand as Scott started talking. Liam looked at him with the most done expression ever and Theo raised his eyebrows in question. Liam rolled his eyes and shook his head but the tiniest of smiles tugged at the corner of his mouth. Theo gave him a half smile back, barely noticing how he’d failed to let go of Liam’s hand. It was a… friendly and awkward hand-hold but neither boy wanted to be the first to pull away or the one to hang on longer. So while Scott dragged on about the faculty Christmas party and how they had to be more contained this year, Liam and Theo were in a world of their own. Theo didn’t notice the harsh glare from Scott when he mentioned how some people needed to learn their alcohol tolerance levels. The science teacher was too busy trying to control his sweat levels, as if that were possible… and his degree in biology agreed with him. Liam was repeating facts about the Cold War over and over in his head just to keep himself at a place of grounded. But it wasn’t working, neither tactic for neither boy. 

   “Enough with my lecturing, I’ll see you all at five.” Scott wrapped up his speech, looking at Mason who was looking at Theo and Liam. The two shook their heads, as did all of the other staff who had noticed the handholding. It was a light hold, easily broken but not shattered. It was Corey who snapped repeatedly in front of Theo’s face that brought them out of their trance. Liam and Theo released each other’s hands, bumbling away from one another with mutters of semi-apologies like two teenagers caught making out. 

   “I’m leaving now so if any of you idiots want to leave, _vamos a mi coche!_ ” Wray announced as she left the room with the other staff. Corey chased after her and after awkward back and forth glances, Liam left after Wray too. Theo rolled his eyes and turned back to Mason with a sickly sweet smile.

   “Do something about it for the love of all things that are holy,” Mason stated bluntly.

   “What do you-”

   “Ask the kid out before one of you explodes with all the sexual tension,” Lydia instructed Theo as she passed by the bumbling kid on her way out. Kira was right behind her, both of them giving Theo pity smiles. 

   “He’s not going to say no,” Kira told him before she and Lydia disappeared into the hallway. Theo turned back to Mason who was looking at him like he was the world’s biggest idiot. And even though Theo was really self-assured, he was starting to think he was too.

   “I have a plan!!” Theo shouted like a child, storming from the room with Mason following slowly behind him. 

   “My god,” Mason said to himself. “They’re hopeless.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed it!!! my goal is to finish this by next saturday with three more chapters? maybe, i don't know!! thank you so so so much for all of the sweet comments, they made my week!!!!!!!!!!!!


	3. Remind Me Why I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has a lot of background of this version of theo and liam and like how they met and stuff! they go to the supermarket, argue a little, flirt a little.

Liam stood in aisle nine surveying the assortment of holiday-themed candy the supermarket offered. He was torn between a bag of peppermint Hershey Kisses or a bag of individually wrapped chocolates that looked like snowmen. It was quite the dilemma. Either way, he’d leave with a bag of candy. The white chocolates were cheaper, but the milk chocolates were more quality. He didn’t like white chocolate, he liked regular milk chocolate. He knew that it wasn’t  really about chocolate at this point because if half the faculty at school were drunk, they’d hardly tell the difference. It was about Theo. Of course, it always was. Liam found he could barely go five minutes without thinking about him. Telling Theo he liked him was the snowmen chocolates and not telling him was the peppermint kisses. It was easier to just suck it up and buy the damn peppermint white chocolate, but Liam despised the idea of it when he could just as easily get the snowmen. So was he buying the milk chocolates and risking losing money, or was he playing it safe and buying the peppermint kisses?

“Figured I’d find you here,” Theo’s voice startled Liam out of this back-and-forth.

“The hell are you doing here?” Liam asked, turning toward Theo with his arms crossed.

Theo shrugged, “buying cheap champagne.” He gave Liam a quirky smile while he placed the bottles in Liam’s cart. Liam laughed airily, looking Theo over with a slight smile.  _He looks devastatingly adorable,_  Liam thought with a sigh. Theo had changed out of his dress shirt and khakis and was now wearing a purple NYU hoodie (where both boys had attended university) and black skinny jeans. He was wearing his winter coat, a men’s peacoat Liam had once suggested he’d look good in, and a gray scarf. Theo was positively the definition of  _soft_. 

“You could have texted me,” Liam said to Theo, snapping back into the moment 

“I did,” Theo chuckled. “I texted you like twenty times and called you at least half that. You were gone before I got home and Wray said you went to the store to buy… chocolate, I presume?” Theo gestured to the vast array of candies in front of them, making a sweeping arm movement.  

“Chill out, Vanna White. Help me choose?” Liam asked, already knowing that Theo was going to surpass the chocolate and go straight for a jumbo bag of sour patch kids. He went to do just that but Liam swatted his hand down. 

“What the shit, Liam?” Theo whined.

“Stiles sent me to buy chocolate, please just help me choose,” Liam begged. Something inside Theo softened when he heard Liam’s desperate tone. He’d forgotten how the supermarket made Liam incredibly anxious. Theo sighed and dropped the bag of snowmen chocolate in the cart, muttering about how he didn’t even know how Liam could give him a choice when the answer was obvious. That also meant Liam’s decision was made for him. He was going to do something about his exorbitant crush on Theo.  _It’s not even a crush anymore, it’s total unrequited love,_  he thought. Then Liam looked at Theo who was looking at the sour patch with the same affection filled gaze Liam gave him. His hair was falling into his gorgeous green-hazel eyes. Those damn eyes had captivated from Liam the day he’d seen Theo hanging out of his dorm room doorway wearing a backward snapback, in nothing but running shorts. 

Liam shook his head at the memory of his first day of college. Going to school in Manhattan meant a lot of major changes for Liam. A kid who’d never shared a room before was now bunked up in a suite with three other guys. And one of them was probably the sexiest guy in the entire residence hall, who also happened to be a  _junior_  and also happened to be  _bisexual_. It was kind of Liam’s dream come true. Though, he’d never gotten over the way Theo had looked that first morning on move-in-day. His hair had been spiked up then, not the soft and natural way it was now. Since he wasn’t wearing a shirt, it was easy to see he was kinda, sweaty, proof that New York City summers were awful. He had a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, but he was smiling as best he could. If Liam hadn’t walked into Theo and Corey’s room, Liam totally would’ve pegged Theo as your average frat boy. But there was a massive Star Wars poster on his side of the room, and half of his wardrobe consisted of Marvel t-shirts. 

Liam had been wary of the fact that a junior was willingly rooming with three freshmen. Until he figured out that Theo had  _significant_  financial aid, and this was one of the parts of his agreement with NYU. Although Liam technically shared a room with Mason, he often passed out on Theo’s bed after the two of them binged every Iron Man movie until four am. When Corey and Mason started dating, Theo and Liam became exceptionally close as the two other boys were completely invested in one another. It got to the point where Liam moved into the vacated side of Theo’s room, and Corey and Mason had their own little bubble on the other side of the suite. Everything was totally great, the four of them requested to room together the following year and it was perfect. All at once,  Liam realized it was Theo’s last year of university. Theo had so quickly become his best friend, the person he’d told everything to. Theo was a good listener and his memory was so exceptional, it was sometimes scary. Liam felt calmer in Theo’s presence, something about his woodsy scent and the soft rasp of his voice. Theo was good at explaining things, had an explanation for everything, whether it be scientific or psychological. So it had been then, on a November night when the two of them had taken a drunk trip at 2 am to a 24-hour Duane Reade, and Theo was droning on about the Oedipus complex, that Liam realized he might be totally in love with Theo. That had been five years ago.  

Now in the supermarket, Theo was snapping his fingers in front of Liam’s face. 

“Welcome back, space cadet,” Theo drawled, checking the time on his watch. 

“We gotta get moving, it’s nearly four thirty and I have to shower. What were you thinking about?” Theo shoved Liam’s shoulders in the direction they had to go while Theo pushed the cart alongside him. Liam sighed, unsure of what explanation to give. Theo was also a human polygraph and his skills were enhanced when it came to Liam. 

“That time you explained the Oedipus complex to me seventeen times because you were once again  _wasted_ ,” Liam quipped, giving Theo an evil grin. The older boy groaned and tried his best to hide his face in his scarf.

“It’s a cool psychological theory, okay?” Theo defended. 

“It’s weird as hell, T.” 

“Sure it may be weird, but it makes sense in some cases.”

“Yeah, in some cases,” Liam scoffed. “This is why history is better.”

“Did you just say that history is better than psychology?” Theo exclaimed, actually sounding somewhat offended. Liam grimaced, but it was for show and Theo knew.

“Shut the  _fuck_  up, Mr. Dunbar. Psych is so much better,” Theo muttered angrily, pushing the cart faster. Liam stilled, did Theo just address him as Mr. Dunbar (for the second time today) but outside of school? In a vaguely dissociated state, Liam ambled along and caught up with Theo, his mind swirling. They didn’t talk much at the checkout, only Theo making an offhand comment about a gossip magazine and Liam fighting him to pay. It was awkward when they got to the parking lot, both of them having to take separate cars but going to the same place. Even more awkward because Theo wanted to drive with Liam and vice-versa, both of them struggling to find the words to admit they could just leave a car here. In the end, they settled for a stiff bro-hug and regretful walks back to their respective cars.

* * *

   Theo had been in the car for all of two minutes when his phone started to ring on the passenger's seat. He answered it without looking and put it on speakerphone while he backed out of his parking space. 

   “This is Theo, speak now or forever hold your peace,” he greeted, hoping it was one of his roommates calling and not any other teachers. 

   “Did you seriously send me to voicemail?” Liam’s voice crackled through the phone, causing Theo to snort at how stupid his love was.

 “Well, I  _was_  calling because I hate a silent car and I know you do too.  _Clearly_ , you don’t want to talk to me. It’s fine, I’m totally not hurt. You let it ring for like a fraction of a second, it’s just rude. You know, I might move out because of this. I mean, Wray is moving out, and Cor and Mason are bound to move out when they get married. I’ll follow them. I don’t need you, not at all! Fuck you,  _Mr. Raeken_.” And there Liam was with the mocking again. Theo had tried it out earlier just to gauge Liam’s reaction. Usually, when they were at school, Theo would call him ‘Dunbar’ or ‘Liam,’ like any friend would. But with the way Liam had momentarily tensed when Theo had called him  _Mr._  Dunbar, Theo was starting to rethink his ways. There was no mistaking how addled Liam had become the second time he’d done it. Although, now it went both ways. 

   “You can if you want to,” Theo said, undeniably leaving Liam shook. 

   “This isn’t your voicemail?” Liam asked, startled.

   “Do voicemails respond to inquiries like that?”

   “Why didn’t you stop me? That was an embarrassing rant!” Liam said, unhinged and whining. Ah, it was Theo’s favorite Liam sub-type. 

   “It was cute.” Theo trilled, smiling as he pictured a flighty Liam making wild hand gestures in the driver’s seat of his car. “Besides, I would have heard it eventually.” 

   “Theodore, when was the last time you listened to a voicemail before deleting it?” Liam asked, expecting to get a scrambling response from Theo. Theo was on the ball, though, not one sentence was getting passed him. According to his students, the flirting was meant to start at the party but a gradual slip into it wouldn’t be bad. That way, Liam had a memory of a sober Theo flirting with him so there was no way to chalk it up to alcohol. 

“I always listen to your voicemails, babe,” Theo corrected him, smirk evident in his voice. The line went dead for a few seconds there, and Theo could barely make out the faintest muttering of a  _“what the fuck?”_

“You’re a dick.” Liam settled with.

“Ah, but you love me.” 

“I have zero ideas as to why.” Theo shook his head and let out an exhale of faint laughter.

“Hey, remember that time we saw If I Stay and you cried like a baby?” Theo asked after a few moments of silence. Liam’s expression of disdain toward the memory was showcased by a groan so exaggerated, it could have been measured on the Mercalli scale of intensity. 

“You made fun of me for a whole month after we saw it. How could I forget? I think you actually got my girlfriend to dump me because of it. Yes, oh my god you did! That girl… Chloe dumped me because you sat there in the freaking apartment and told her about every time I’d ever cried like a six-year-old!” Liam’s speech became squished together as he gained momentum like it did when he started a History rant and got into it. 

“You two dated for about two and a half weeks, she was like a walking perfume store, she  _hated_  the Packers, and I was-” 

“Let me guess, you were  _wasted_ ,” Liam said, sounding less than impressed yet simultaneously thoroughly amused.      

“ _No_ ,” Theo clarified, using his 'teacher voice'. “I was  _high_.”

  
“Damn, this was during your weed phase! Great, what else did you tell her?”

“Like I remember, Li. My stoner phase was three years ago.” Theo visibly cringed, remembering the summer when Liam had basically fucked every girl in Manhattan while they’d been roommates, and Theo had struck up a relationship with pot. Theo’s masterful ability to chase off every girl that stuck around for more than a week had developed during this time. He found that by just confessing to the girl how in love with Liam he was, they’d dump him ASAP and promise not to tell. Girls, apparently, would do anything for a good ship. Also, he was starting his first full-time position that falls and was monumentally nervous the entire summer. When he wasn’t  on the cusp of becoming a sex-addict, Liam sat up with (sober) Theo and the two of them drafted lesson plans while eating popcorn and watching How I Met Your Mother reruns. 

“That was an interesting summer,” Liam mentioned, not sounding particularly excited or upset. Theo went to agree when he realized that save for the limited number of times he wasn’t stoned that summer, he’d been miserable. 

   “Summer 2014 wasn’t my prime,” Theo countered, adamantly against it. 

“You’re actually  _really_  hot when you’re stoned,” Liam pointed out, a slight shake to his otherwise ballsy statement. 

“Really now?” Theo bit his lip in shock, his eyebrows traveling up his forehead at rapid speed. Liam coughed a few times before starting some type of self-manufactured rustling. Ah, so he’s going to pretend the line is going dead. _Little bitch,_  Theo thought. 

“Yeah, I can’t hear you. Can you repeat that? I think you’re breaking up. Okay, hanging up now, love you dickhead.” With the dignifying three beep succession, Liam was gone. Had Theo’s ears just mistaken him or had Liam just blatantly flirted with him? Theo shook his head of the thought, putting on the back burner as he made a left turn onto his street. Unsurprisingly, Liam pulled into the driveway from the opposite direction before Theo did. Liam tended to speed when he was nervous. 

“Oh, Mr. Dunbar.” Theo singsonged as he climbed out of his truck, grabbing his phone and the box holding the champagne. Liam took one look at Theo’s smirking face and bolted up the front porch steps and straight into the house. 

“I’m not talking to you right now! Catch you in an hour,” He shouted as he ran into the foyer. Theo laughed and followed him inside, deciding to drop the teasing for now and focus on personal hygiene. After he left the champagne in the kitchen and said hi to Wray in the living room, he traveled up the staircase to his room, which obviously, was the master bedroom. When his parents realized they were hardly home enough to even put good use to the room with the great view of the mountains, they’d shuttled it off to Theo.  The room had grown with Theo through every phase. Astronaut, Marvel, Science geek, Star Wars, Emo, Marvel again. Even the Weed phase made an appearance through a marijuana leaf flag he’d bought when he and Liam had taken a spontaneous trip to Colorado during summer ‘14. Currently, the room rested somewhere in between minimalistic and 45-year old dad. Aside from Theo’s room, there were three other bedrooms. But what Liam had said on the phone was right, in a few short months, it was just going to be the two of them rooming together again.  _And maybe_ , Theo thought, _we’ll be an actual couple living together._ Just as the thought floated through his mind, Theo passed Liam’s room where voices could be heard through the ajar door. 

“No, you don’t get it,” Liam was saying. Theo froze in place, knowing the old house was known for the squeaky floorboards. “I’m not ready. I’m scared.”

“That’s bullshit, Liam,” Mason scolded him. “You are ready. Being scared is normal-” Theo continued walking, knowing it was probably another conversation about Liam hating faculty parties, but Mason had this one under control. But while Theo was hyperfocused on actually showering, he’d missed a key part of the conversation.

“Loving someone, Liam, that shit is terrifying,” Mason explained. Liam sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before shaking his head. He turned to Mason with a dead serious face, 

“I have not been suppressing how in love I am with Theo for half a decade for nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thank you so SO much for reading and commenting and all the kudos!! it means so so so so so so much to me, you have np idea!!! let me know what you think and come find me on tumblr too!


	4. Questions and Temptations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> theo is a tease, liam is shook, things get steamy. it's kind of a mess and sort of short

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you SO much for all of the unbelievably sweet comments and all the kudos and just gAAh i love the love

Liam Dunbar hated faculty Christmas parties. He hated them for a number of reasons. One of them was it just being plain weird to see all of your colleagues drunk. Another was that he didn’t like to be drunk around all his colleagues. He could easily make the choice to be sober except the only way he got through was by being drunk. Unlike Theo, Liam had a higher alcohol tolerance and was starting his third drink despite only being there for an hour. The rapid disappearance of his drinks probably had to do with the fact that he was alone and sulking in the corner of the school’s common room. He was sat on a couch that was pushed against the far wall, eyes glued to his phone and hand wrapped around a wine glass in a death grip. Like the classy bitch he was, Liam was sipping an undoubtedly expensive glass of cabernet and was scrolling through Pinterest. Mason and Corey were chatting to Lydia and Stiles, all of them fretting over being engaged and expecting. Kira and Scott had stuck up a conversation with Wray about where she was moving to in the new year. And Theo, well, Theo was MIA. Liam had left the house before Theo,  knowing how long his best friend took to get ready for fancy events. Liam tended to just throw a blazer on over his regular school outfit of a button down and black skinny jeans. Conversely, Theo always looked _extravagant_ at these parties, probably the only reason why Liam tolerated coming. Most of everyone got super dressed up, acting as if this was a red carpet event and not a party inside a high school. Liam chanced a glance up from Pinterest, taking a generous gulp of his almost gone glass of wine.

It was the wrong time to take a drink.

At that exact moment in time, Theodore Raeken decided to walk into the party like a fucking movie star. His floppy hair was parted slightly to the side, most of it swooping across the better half of his forehead. Theo wore a suit, a look that should be a crime against humanity considering how _sexy_ he looked honest to god made Liam’s heart stop. He walked into the room, his confident stride matching the smirk he wore and how his tongue swiped across his lips when he spotted Liam. There was mischief, lust, _danger_ mixed up in his eyes. Liam deadass choked on his sip of cab, almost spraying red wine out of his mouth and onto the floor. Theo greeted Stiles, offering up the champagne. In turn, Stiles handed him his tumbler of whiskey. Theo laughed at something that Stiles said before he moved his eyes back to where Liam was gaping at him. It had been a long day of sexual frustration for Liam and of course, Theo was just making it worse. Sure, okay, he’d brought some of this on himself. He always let himself be dragged to where Theo was, he made it harder on himself.

But did Theo really have to show up looking like walking sex?

Liam outwardly groaned and let his face settle into a pained grimace. Theo raised his eyebrows at Liam, almost challenging Liam’s control over his actions. Liam met his gaze with a profoundly unemotional stare, daring him to even _try._ Theo winked at Liam, a heavy wink that left Liam choking on the sip of wine he’d just swallowed, clearly not ready to be taking any more sips. Theo had since turned back to his conversation with Stiles and now Scott, while Lydia had migrated towards talking with Kira and Wray. It would only make sense if Liam were to get up and join his friends. Except if he stayed on this couch, sulking, there was no chance of him saying something stupid. Looking at Theo caused Liam’s breath to quicken, his pants to tighten with a hard-on, and his hands to get all clammy. He was halfway across the room from him and already wanted to shove the older boy up against the wall and make damn sure Theo knew exactly how Liam was feeling. There was no telling what Liam would actually do if he was next to Theo. At least this way he had distance on his side.

Just as Liam went to take another sip from his wine glass, his phone buzzed in his hand. He tore his gaze away from Theo and read the new message.

**Theo: You’re catching flies.**

Liam downed the rest of his drink and typed back,

**Liam: Fuck off.**

**Theo: *Fuck me is what you meant, surely?**

He choked on his own spit this time, in the midst of getting up to get another much needed glass of wine.  Why was Theo doing this to him? Enticing him like this, flirting with him and getting him all riled up? Was there any purpose besides typical Theo-like boredom games?

**Liam: Theo, why are you doing this?**

**Theo: Why am I texting you? Well, you looked really miserable drinking by your lonesome in the corner and you’re my best friend so it’s my job to cheer you up**

**Liam: You know that’s not what I meant.**

**Theo: Ha, yeah I know. ;)**

Liam reached the drink table at that point, deciding against wine and switching to a vodka/sprite combo. Although it was mainly vodka. When nobody was looking, he drank half of what was in the red solo cup, shook his head, and walked right up to Scott, Stiles, and Theo.

“Dunbar!” Stiles exclaimed, wobbling slightly as he threw an arm around Liam. Liam helped to keep him upright as he gave a similar greeting in response. The four boys made small talk for the next half an hour, talking about the major turn around in the Titans versus the 49ers game last weekend. The conversation turned over to holiday plans, New Year’s resolutions, and what they got everyone for Christmas. Theo and Liam barely listening to any bit of the conversation, commenting without actually thinking about anything. Theo’s focus was on how hot Liam looked in a blazer and how enthralling it was when he subconsciously bit his lip after talking or laughing. Liam was too busy with trying to distract his own mind from thinking about Theo, and then ultimately thinking _all_ about Theo. How he wanted him, when he wanted him, why he wanted him, where he wanted him. Preferably, not on the same floor as this damn party so as not to risk being caught. Maybe in Theo’s classroom, on top of that perfectly clean desk-

“Liam? Are you okay?” Scott was asking the young teacher.  
“Uh,” Liam stuttered, noticing how constricting hot and itchy his clothes felt. “I’m fine, totally alright.” He gave Scott a small smile and the principal frowned in response.

“You bit your lip _really_ hard, you’re bleeding,” Scott informed him. Liam’s hand flew to his mouth to wipe away the blood but Theo beat him to it.

“Oh, Li,” He said softly, looking every bit the caring best friend. His eyes said otherwise; they preached challenge. “That’s kind of a deep gash. We should go clean it out before you make it worse.” Theo unapologetically led Liam from the common room and out into the hallway. Liam had been expecting something to happen once it was just the two of them and the faint sounds of Mariah Carey giving it her all in the distance. That wasn’t the case. Theo really did want to get his stupid lip cut cleaned up, Liam realized as Theo led him toward the staff bathroom. Once the two of them were inside, Theo put his drink down and made Liam sit up on the small counter space next to the sink while he wet a paper towel.

“Wanna talk about it?” Theo asked in a mumble, nudging Liam’s legs apart and standing in between them. Liam sighed as the cold feeling of the cold, wet paper towel covered his small gash. Theo’s free hand rested on the remaining counter space, basically right under Liam’s thigh.

“Talk about what? A superficial wound or you _totally_ flirting with me?” Liam responded, tightening his grip on the red solo cup he still was holding. As Theo wiped up the blood that was collecting in the small cut, Liam let his eyes fall closed.  Liam should have known that Theo would do everything in his power to evade the question.

“Why’d you bite your lip so hard, Mr. Dunbar?” Theo’s taunting voice was the perfect mix of sin and innocence that made Liam want to strip down and do it in this bathroom. Liam swallowed around the lump in his throat when Theo tossed the paper towel into the trash can and let his hand come to rest on Liam’s thigh.

“I am _so_ not telling you,” Liam spoke, eyes still closed, voice low and gravelly.

“Hmm, I'm  _tempted_ to think you will,” Theo hummed, leaning in closer to Liam whose eyes were still closed. Theo’s hands found a new home resting right on Liam’s ass, pulling the history teacher toward him.  “A question for a question. I ask you, you ask me. Deal?”

“Deal,” Liam nodded quickly, allowing his eyes to flick open. Theo was impossibly close to him, maybe the closest they’d ever been face-to-face and awake. If either of them moved an inch forward, they’d be touching. Liam took a shaky breath and let his own arms wrap around Theo’s neck loosely, doing the same with his legs around Theo’s waist.

“I wanna know…” Theo whispered, dropping his head to Liam’s neck, his lips ghosting over his collarbone. “Exactly what you were thinking about when this little lip incident occurred.” Liam groaned, in part because of the goddamn question but also due to the way Theo’s lips felt on his skin. The hot kisses he left all over the expanse of Liam’s collarbone and neck, how some were soft but some brought the pain of a hickey. Subliminally, Liam threaded his fingers through Theo’s hair, messing it up as he pulled at it.

“You,” Liam settled on the vaguest answer available that wasn’t a lie. It was hard to really think of anything else when he was being showered, _treated_ by Theo like this.

“Oh, really? Just me, nothing else? Pretty strong reaction there, Mr. Dunbar.” Theo was now continuing his attack on Liam’s jaw, getting dangerously close to his lips.

“Only.. one question,” Liam managed through staggered breath.

“You’re up then,” Theo stated, detaching his lips from Liam’s jaw and resting his forehead against Liam’s. Liam had to think about this one. He didn’t have _one_ question, he had about a million. What were Theo’s intentions? Was he drunk yet? Was Liam himself drunk?

“Is this going anywhere?” Was Liam’s genius million dollar question. Theo chuckled.

“This will go anywhere you want it to go. If you wanna fuck, let’s fuck,” The vulgar profane statement fell from Theo’s soft lips, said in the dirtiest tone.  Liam frantically nodded in agreement, wrapping his arms tighter around Theo’s neck, forcing the science teacher to look up at him. They shared a moment of silence connection, all through their unspoken eye conversations.

“You’re sure?” Theo was in the middle of asking when the door to the bathroom flew open, revealing an older staff member of the English department. _Oh, dear god_ , Liam thought, releasing Theo from his grasp while the older boy stumbled backward. In an awkward flurry, the two of them grabbed their drinks and fled the bathroom, laughing at the embarrassment they both felt. But the bubble was popped. Neither of them knew that the other one was up in his head, thinking about how to get back in that position again. Surely, they could just go straight to it and be direct. Except this is 2017 and directness has been replaced by subtext.

When they arrived back at the community room, the split up quickly. Theo knew Liam’s neck was home to at least two small hickeys and one somewhat massive one that he’d tried to place in an easy to hide space. Liam felt them but didn’t really have any way of addressing the situation. And Theo, well Theo just looked wrecked. He had a slight smudge of blood on his cheek from brushing against Liam’s mouth and his hair was a mess thanks to Liam as well. If they were seen together, even a baby could figure out what happened. So Liam went to the drink table and switched back to red wine, then joined Corey and Mason. Theo got more whiskey and went to talk with Lydia and Kira about home improvement shows.

After a solid ten minutes had gone by, Liam felt a burning gaze in his back and that familiar flip-flop of his stomach. He looked over his shoulder, noticing Theo’s intense gaze. Theo’s pink lips twisted into a devilish smirk and he waved his phone in the air. Liam turned back around and scrambled to get his cell out of his pocket. When he did, he almost wished he hadn’t.

**Theo: Like hell are we not finishing what we started.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok ever since i wrote the last chapter and whole thing w/ theo being a total stoner, i've been thinking about doing a sort of "prologue" to this fic but basically Thaim prior to this fic so college and them being roomies??? would anyone be into that??  
> let me know in the comments or on tumblr! :)


	5. 3005

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the final part!! (chapter title- 3005 by Childish Gambino... everyone should listen to it)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! thank you so so so much for reading and commenting and leaving kudos it all meant so much to me!! i plan to write another short part with the student's reactions to them finally getting together!

Theo was a piece of shit. He knew it, he knew he was being a total shithead. But something about the way that Liam was staring at him, eyes practically on fire in a glare, made him keep acting like the little shit he was. Taking a cue from cheesy rom-coms and YA novels, Theo was torturing Liam by trying to make him jealous. Theo could be a real flirt, and he really knew how to work it. But such talent was going to waste on a boring, young teacher’s aide. Sure, she was pretty and nice but she was certainly not Liam. In actuality, Theo didn’t even need to be doing this because it was kind of clear after the bathroom debacle that Liam wanted him too. Despite that knowledge, he kept it up because let’s face it: it’s fun as hell. As Theo let his fingers graze the skin of her forearm, leaning in close to her with a chuckle, all he thought of was Liam.

To be honest, he had no idea what had come over him when the entire bathroom situation happened. He had shown up to the party, only expecting to have a grand ol’ time flirting with Liam until his feelings were undeniable. He had zero intention of letting things get that far, or even going to the bathroom in the first place. But Liam looked so hot biting his lip like that and Theo just couldn’t hold back. The whiskey helped, although it was mainly a Theo driven situation. He had no implication, at least that he was aware of, that Liam would want him too. So he had him where he wanted him; lusting after the promise of more but not being able to have it. With a smirk on his lips, Theo cast a glance in Liam’s direction. Liam was talking with Scott and Kira, smiling but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. When he laughed, his head tipped back and you could clearly see a hickey just under the collar of his shirt, the sight of it making Theo groan. The girl in front of him was now snapping her fingers in front of his face but Theo was caught in a staring match with Liam. His eyes burned from not blinking but he was too stubborn to be the first to blink. Maybe because being the first to blink was a whole metaphor for giving in to one another. But it was no secret now that the two of them were hella ready for something to go down. It was clear they needed it, needed one another in more ways than one. They’re both stubborn, though, and giving up was almost seen as weakness. And boy, Theo was getting weak.

Theo excused himself from the now progressively getting clingier girl in front of him and went to the drinks table. He located the moderately expensive bottle of Jameson, topped off his glass and ventured toward Scott’s little group. On his walk over, Theo decided on an idea he had been contemplating all evening. Sure, Theo was a man of sheer confidence but when it came to Liam, he was at a loss.  Keeping up with his night full of being a little shit, Theo was gonna play fake drunk. Yes, an admittedly profoundly stupid idea. In order to psychologically trick himself into thinking he was drunk, he needed to really be committed. In a way, it was like some twisted version reverse psychology. By thinking about how much he’d drank (only the glass he got two hours ago and maybe a sip after that) and acting like it was a lot more than it was, he was already inducing the effects of being drunk. He was already known for being a lightweight but he was also a manipulative mastermind. There was total truth to him being a lightweight but it wasn’t to the extent that many believed. Having the amount of whiskey he drank tonight was enough to make him tipsy and a tad hallucinatory. But he was far from blackout wasted. Theo knew exactly how he acted as a drunk; he groped Liam, a lot, and babbled on about food. He craved burgers, made stupid jokes, and acted a bit airhead-y. And goddamn, was he going to play Liam like a damn fiddle.

Theo reached Scott, Kira, and Liam with a little wobble in his step, immediately leaning against Liam for faux support. As expected, Liam’s arm made quick work of encircling his waist, pulling Theo closer. Impossibly close.

“Hey, T,” Liam said softly, a change from his gravelly, wrecked voice earlier. “How much have you had to drink?”  Theo giggled, a thing he only did when he was… you guessed it:  wasted. Internally, Liam was screaming in frustration. Not only was he still shook as fuck from what had happened not two and a half hours ago, but now he had to assist his drunk ass best friend. Better yet, Theo was a horny drunk and since they haven’t talked since the bathroom, Liam isn’t sure how to handle himself. On one hand, he wants to let Theo fuck him until he is literally seeing stars because that’s what the reviews say. On the other hand, he wants to lay in bed with Theo and pepper his face with kisses and watch Hallmark movies all night long. It’s safe to say that Liam is hella confused. Now, Theo is drunk off his ass, therefore, ruling out either of those fantasies.

“Oh, I dunno, enough,” came Theo’s delayed response.

“Enough for what?” Liam asked in the same encouraging soft tone. Liam sends a look to Scott and Kira when he feels Theo’s hand near his ass, silently begging them to flee. The pair laughs good-naturedly before dispersing.

“Enough to make me want to leave,” Theo says, his breath hot in Liam’s ear. “With you.” Liam’s heart flutters and his stomach drops. Of course, Theo was famously wasted but with what happened earlier, Liam was thinking it was maybe a lot more than he thought.

“We live together, Theo. Of course, we’re leaving together.” Liam scoffs and tightens his hold on Theo’s swaying body. The older boy giggled again.

“Really?” He asked excitedly. “I’ve wanted this for like a long, long, long, long time. Hey, wait, Li Li! Guess what?” Liam held back a laugh as his best friend squirmed out of his grasp and gave him an adorable grin.

“What is it?” Liam asked, looking around the room and noticing all of the older teacher’s starting to file out. Most of them have kids to get home to, or they’re just sick of hanging around a bunch of young drunks. Liam sees this as the perfect opportunity to sneak Theo out without having to explain anything to his friends so he grabs hold of Theo’s hand and leads him toward the exit.

“Why are we walking so fast? Li, you forgot our coats. Can we get shake shack? Oh, dammit there isn’t a shake shack here. Hey, Liam? Can we go to Manhattan, I really want a shack burger. Why are you glaring at me? Hey, hey, Liam, guess what?” Liam turned into super mom throughout Theo’s drunk babbling. He grabbed their coats off the chair near the door with his free hand and successfully got Theo out of the common room without making a scene. Now the two of them were in the hallway and Liam realized he still had half an hour to go until he was significantly less intoxicated and could drive back home. So, ignoring all of Theo’s questions, he dragged the science teacher halfway across the school building and to Theo’s classroom. It effectively killed a solid six minutes, he realized when he pushed Theo into the classroom and checked the time on his watch.

“What are we doing here?” Theo wondered, stumbling about the classroom until he finally sat down on top of one the desks.

“Waiting until I’m sober enough to drive,” Liam responded simply.

“Where are we going? Please say Manhattan, I’m dying for a shack burger,” Theo whined, throwing his head back for dramatic emphasis. Liam laughed and went to sit up next to him, letting their shoulders touch.

“No, we’re going home.”

“Not even a first date and you’re taking me home? Naughty boy,” Theo clicked his tongue and attempted to wag his finger in front of Liam’s face. He ended up getting so enticed by the way his finger moved when his brain told it to that all seductiveness died in that act. For having a minor in neuropsychology and a second major in neuroscience, Theo was acting like he knew nothing about the brain’s connectivity to the body.

“Well, Theodore, you _almost_ fucked me in a bathroom. I think all sense of class has been lost.” Liam said back, knowing that the response he received would be gravely incoherent.

“Key word there is _almost_ , Mr. Dunbar,” Theo said, causing Liam’s skin to burn up. “I wouldn’t have fucked you in a bathroom. I would’ve definitely taken you home, set it up all nice in my room with candles and shit, making it seem like it was romantic and sweet. Then, I’d fuck you so so hard, you’d forget everything except for my name and ‘harder’.” With the clear conviction of Theo’s words, how he barely stuttered or slurred, Liam realized Theo wasn’t drunk. Liam turned his head so he was facing the older boy who met his look with a smug smirk. Liam thought now or never, slapped his hand down on Theo’s thigh and connected his lips to Theo’s. The kiss was breathtaking; a perfect mix of awkward, passion-fueled, and sexy. It was a kiss of wanting, of love, of need. They ended up with Liam managing to climb into Theo’s lap, the older boys hands gripping onto his ass tightly. Liam’s hands found their way back into Theo’s hair, reveling in how soft his hair was but how hard the kiss was. When they broke apart, Liam felt lightheaded and woozy, regardless, he smiled at Theo and looked up at him from under his lashes,

“I might take you up on that offer.”

* * *

 

Theo kept his word and lit candles. Many candles all over his bedroom, creating the most picturesque place to bang. His whole bedroom was bathed in a golden glow, the aroma a soft vanilla… and sex.

“Theo?” Liam asked five minutes after Theo had pulled out. Liam was wrapped in Theo’s arms, his head on the older boy’s chest and the sheets and blankets pooled around their waists.

“Yes?” Theo hummed. Liam looked up as best he could, wanting to see Theo’s face. He wiggled out of Theo’s grasp and Theo’s arm fell to just above his ass, loosely holding him. Liam propped himself up on his elbow, one arm still tossed across Theo’s bare torso.

“Are we- or is this-”

“Are we dating? Is this just a sex thing?” Theo supplied, raising his eyebrows at Liam with an amused smirk gracing his delicate, slightly bruised lips. Liam blushed at the thought of Theo’s red and irritated lips because he had done that. That had been all Liam. The scratches across Theo’s chest that he was tracing lightly had been all Liam.

“We can be anything you want- as long as it’s together and you know that you’re mine,” Theo said matter-of-factly after a few minutes of them letting the idea of dating sink in.

“I wanna be dating,” Liam blurted. “I want you to be my boyfriend, I want to be yours and I want you to be mine. I always have.” Theo blushed and smiled at Liam.

“I love you,” he admitted. Liam near choked on his own saliva.

“You- you love me?”

“For the past fucking three years, you dense idiot,” Theo said, lightly smacking his ass.

Liam deadass squealed which dissolved into a chuckle.

“You’re denser! I’ve got you totally beat. Five years!”

“Five years?” Theo asked, shocked laced into his tone. Liam nodded. “But that means during my stoner phase… you liked me?”

“Oh, it’s irrelevant now,” Liam said, dropping his gaze to Theo’s hickey dotted neck.

“Um, hey, eyes up here. I spent an entire summer of my life with my lips practically glued to a joint because you decided to fuck everything with a female reproductive system. When really you fucking liked me? Fuck you, Dunbar.” Theo huffed, fake anger in his words. He was more frustrated and frustrated Theo was adorable.

“Well, you did, like ten minutes ago.” Liam joked, kissing Theo’s chest.

“Alright, Mr. Dunbar,” Theo said, letting his eyes flutter closed as Liam’s kisses traveled from his chest to his collarbone to his neck, finally reaching his jaw.

“I love it when you call me that,” Liam confessed, placing a delicate kiss on Theo’s lips. “I love you anytime. I love you all the time. Even when you’re yelling about Punnett squares, or telling me off, or stoned. I love you, I love you, I love you.” Liam finished each declaration of love with a kiss on Theo’s lips. The older boy giggled and wrapped his arms around Liam’s waist when the younger boy climbed into his lap.

“I love you too,” Theo said. “Now can we please have sex again?” Liam threw his head back with laughter as did Theo. The two of them laughed for a minute before inevitably gravitating back toward one another’s lips, staying locked in a kiss for what felt like an eternity. They stayed in various similar positions all night, Liam thinking about how just at the start of today he was standing outside Theo’s classroom, gazing in and practically stalking him. Now, he was ending the day in Theo’s bed with free rights to gaze all he wanted.

**And goddamnit, he loved it.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) i would have written smut except me writing smut is like me driving a car: i can do it, but i really shouldn't  
> 2) if all goes well, i'm planning on writing a semi-prelude to this story except with it's own ending cause i really liked the idea of college thiam!! so look out for that!!  
> again thank you to the moon and back for all the support! love you ALL


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